


You're Not Alone

by lightinthedarkness



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Is it set in The Third Bullet Universe?, M/M, Multi, Original Character - Freeform, Perc'ildad AU, pure fluff, shrug emoji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7044688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightinthedarkness/pseuds/lightinthedarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vivian's birthday has a few.....unexpected complications.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cinderfell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderfell/gifts).



A content hum rang throughout the kitchen, combining with the sizzling noises of bacon frying in a pan. Vax focused on the stove, making a few finishing touches on the two pans in front of him, one still sizzling and crackling and the other bubbling and browning before he flipped the pancake. 

The humming, and Vax’s trance, stopped with the sound of footsteps approaching. He panicked for a moment, afraid his surprise was ruined, only to let out a sigh of relief at the white hair and sleepy blue eyes, “Morin’ handsome.” he turned back to the pans.

“Good morning,” Percy greeted with a yawn. Vax could hear more footsteps before a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, a gentle kiss to his cheek, “It smells delicious.”

“Thanks, but it's not for you,” a quick peck to Percy’s lips, “Not all of it at least, where’s Vivi?”

“In bed, I checked,” Vax could feel Percy burying his face into his shoulder, “I’m still half-asleep, remind me when and where.”

“At the park, two thirty,” Vax looked at a clock hanging on the wall, noting it read 10:00 a.m., “That’ll give me a few-” a ringing noise interrupted him. He turned to see his phone light up on the counter. Quickly turning off the stove, Vax picked up the call, “Hello? Sherri I-wait what? No, you know what today-” a deep, heavy sigh escaped Vax’s lips, “Okay, but if I’m not out before two I can and will kick your ass, alright bye.” another sigh as he hung up, hitting his forehead with the device.

“Something wrong?” Percy asked, trying to sneak a strawberry laying on the dining table. The glare Vax gave him in response made him freeze.

“Work.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t pay attention, all I know is that they need me there for a few hours, and I still need to fucking-” he let out a groan, running his free hand through his hair, “I promised Vivi I’d spend the day with her before getting her party ready, fuck.”

Percy only stared at him for a moment, “You do realize you’re not planning alone this year right?”

“Vex and Zahra are out getting her a gift.”

“I meant me,” Vax looked over to Percy, a small smile on his face as he turned the strawberry in his hand, “I could easily distract her for a few hours.”

“Percy, I don’t-”

“Vax,” a quick step and Percy was right in front of him, his smile only widening, “She’s my daughter too.”

Despite his sigh, there was a smile on Vax’s lips, “Yeah….she is.”

“Go on, do what you need to do, she’ll barely even know you’re gone.” He winked before placing a kiss on Vax’s forehead.

“Barely?”

“She’s sharp as a tack, and I’m good but even I have my limits.” Percy chuckled as Vax rolled his eyes, lightly slapping his arm.

“Fine,” Vax stepped to the side, moving quickly around the stove and fiddling around with it, “Here’s her breakfast…..and some of its for you but touch the chocolate chip ones and you will die, by me or her that’s debatable.” He quickly put the pancake and bacon on plates at the table, “If she asks where I am, tell her I’m…...setting things up, which isn’t a lie,” he was very adamant at that, “Because I’m rushing as soon as I get off work.”

Percy only nodded as he followed Vax out of the kitchen, watching him grab his coat, “You’re not changing to your uniform?” he asked, noting his regular shirt and jeans.

“Sherri called me on my day off and my daughter’s fucking birthday, if she has a problem she can kiss my ass.” Vax responded bluntly as he picked up the keys next to the door. He was silent for a moment, running through a mental checklist before giving himself a nod, “Alright, I’ll meet you at the park,” he walked over to Percy, a quick kiss to the lips, “Love you.” and a pat to his shoulder.

“Love you too.” and with that Vax was out the door. 

Percy waited a beat, then another, one more before pulling his own phone from his cardigan pocket, scrolling through his (short) list of favorites.

“Tiberius, I know it’s early….but would you care to stop by? And bring a few things,” he started listing them off as he carefully walked up the stairs, needing to get ready for the day. 

~~~

Vivian would never admit to liking sleep, there was too much to do in the day! Daddy and Percy were weird, sleeping in the middle of the day.

But that didn’t mean she cared for someone shaking her awake, albeit gently. She barely even registered the movement as she fluttered her eyes open, clutching Mary tightly in her tiny arms. When she let out a small groan, Vivi could hear movement, someone placing something next to her, then more footsteps. When the noise was gone, Vivi opened one eye, seeing a note placed next to her head.

_ “Into the kitchen.”  _ It read in flowly handwriting. Rubbing her tired eyes with one hand and clutching Mary with the other, Vivian grabbed the note and hopped out of bed. She carefully placed Mary on her pillow, smoothing out the soft dark feathers before walking out the door. 

She yawned as she trailed down the stairs, being careful like Daddy told her, as she was still unaccustomed to living in a place like this. She hopped a little at the last step, giggling.

“Daddy!” she called out into the kitchen, disappointment on her face at the silence. She walked further in, seeing the table set for only one, “Daddy?” she sounded worried until she saw another note on the table.

_ “Finish breakfast”  _ it read in the same handwriting. Between it and the smell Vivian recognized all too well, she couldn’t help but sit at the only place at the table with a plate, a delighted glint in her eye at the chocolate chip pancakes and strawberries.

It took her a bit to finish eating, the taste of the rare treat being a distraction from the odd silence of the kitchen. When she was done she walked over, placing the dishes into the sink.

“Good morning Ms. Mayor~!” she yelped at the sudden noise, turning to see the source.

“Percy?” The person standing in front of her certainly  _ looked  _ like Percy, but the dog ears and the black lines decorating his face made it tricky.

“Good morning,” he repeated, walking into the kitchen towards her, “You know what today is right?” 

She was hit with realization, eyes alight as she rushed to the other side of the room, ripping off a piece of paper hanging on the wall, “September first, September first!!” she hopped a few times, staring at the paper, “My birthday!!”

Percy could only nod, chuckling he crossed his arms, “That it is, Happ-.”

She looked around once more, cheeks puffing out slightly, “Where’s Daddy? He’s always the first to say Happy Birthday to me.”

With that Percy immediately closed his lips into a fine line, a muffled grunt escaping him, “Uh…” he paused for a moment before there was a look of remembrance, “Before that, you need to get dressed!” her puzzled expression cued him to continue, “Well, you can hardly be mayor in your pajamas can you?”

She looked at him for a moment, puzzled expression turning into realization, realization turning into a squealing sound as she bolted up the stairs, only coming back down a few minutes later, dressed but hair still a mess, “Ready!”

Percy chuckled, “Part of me doubts that Ms. Mayor, back up the stairs.” he waved his hand at her pout. He followed her up to the bathroom, grabbing the comb and setting to work. Though he was not as skilled compared to Vax, he was able to work around her hair with minimum wincing.

“What are we doing today?” she bounced in excitement, causing him to hit another knot in her hair.

“Well, a few citizens found some oddities this morning.” He explained as he carefully started the braid, weaving her hair through his fingers, “And of course, as Mayor, we need you to take care of them.”

“Oddities?” 

A few quick motions and her hair was tied up, though a few small strands were out of place, it was good enough, “I’ll simply show you, come along please.” and in a flash he was out of the bathroom.

Vivian blinked for a moment before following him down the stairs and back into the kitchen, where there once was dishes and food, there was now a line of five, rocks? She walked up to the table curiously, looking over the objects. Percy grabbed the one on the farthest right, handing it to her carefully. She took it, carefully running her thumb over the indents, her eyes lighting up, “Fossils…” she whispered.

He nodded in affirmation, “Or at least, I think they are, we need to go have them looked at.”

The light in her eyes seemed to only brighten, “We get to see Blathers?!” 

Percy’s face scrunched up just a tad, “Not Blathers….his cousin, I’m good friends with him.”

Vivian looked at him, a tiny eyebrow raised. He was afraid she was going to say something before she chuckled, “Kay,” she gripped onto the fossil, her gleeful look never faltering, “Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!” she pulled his sleeve with her free hand towards the door. He quickly grabbed the other fossils before following her out the door. 

~~~

Vax took in a deep breath, laying his head against the counter.

Sherri fucking called him just to babysit a new employee.

His irritated trance was interrupted by a vibration in his pocket. He looked around for a second, nothing was on fire and no one was screaming, he could take a few second break he thought as he picked up the call.

“Hello?”

_ “Vax’ildan, the man I was hoping to talk to.”  _ the suave voice vibrated over the other line.

“Scanlan,” the other man’s voice eased some of the irritation, “Something the matter?”

_ “Oh no no, was just wanting to double check the time, two thirty right?”  _

“Yeah….at least I hope….”

_ “Something wrong? You sound awfully tense….well tenser than you should be all things considered.” _

Vax couldn’t help but chuckle, “It's fine, just got called into work.”

_ “Ouch.” _

“And now I have to rush to get the cake, the decorations,” the groan that escaped from him seemed involuntary, “Sorry about that.”

_ “Don’t be,”  _ a beat of silence,  _ “So what’s Vivian’s opinion on purple?” _

“She threatens to get cavities if I don’t buy her a purple toothbrush if that answers your question.”

_ “Duly noted, see you!”  _ and with that Scanlan hung up. Vax looked at the phone for a moment, before he heard a crashing noise from the back room. With a sigh he put his phone back in his pocket and went to check the noise.

~~~

“Kaylee, you almost ready sweetie?” Scanlan called out from the living room, getting up from the couch and pocketing his phone.

A moment and a flash later, a little bundle of energy was in front of him, wearing arguably her best (and only) dress and a bag clutched in her hands, the lavender tissue paper looking even more crinkled under her grip, “Yeah!” 

He smiled at her inability to stop bouncing, “Alright, you head on out to the car okay?”

With a nod she was out the door. He jingled his pocket, making sure his keys were there, before making a quick run to the closet next to the door.

~~~

Percy stopped the car in the driveway, noting Vivi bouncing in her seat, “Alright, here we are.”

Barely a moment after he said that, she was out, slamming the door closed. He couldn’t help but laugh as he got out himself, watching her eagerly knock at the door. 

“Yes? Oh hello there!” Tiberius answered the door, looking down at the girl, more importantly at the bundle in her hands, “Right this way, into the back room little one.” he instructed, pointing her deeper into the house. With a nod, she ran into the house, stopping only a moment to take off her shoes, “Oh, and Hap-” 

“Tiberius!” Percy interrupted,  at the door only a moment later, “Thank you so much.” he whispered, his smile never leaving, “I would’ve called Keyleth, but her and Kashaw-” 

“Of course, of course, it's important to nurture a child’s love of Archeology!” Tiberius interrupted him as the two men walked into the house, following Vivian into the back room, which turned out to be a massive collection a books and displays. 

“And the makeup was amazing, I almost look like an actual-” he stopped when he saw Vivian standing in the middle of the room, eyes wide in awestruck and amazement. He stopped at the door frame, leaning against it as Tiberius walked further in.

“Now then, care to show me what you have little one?” the question seemed to snap her out of any trance she was under when she blinked looking up at him.

Vivi showed him the bundle of fossils Percy had given her, her grip on them never letting up. He took one at random, carefully examining it or at least pretending to (Percy figured he already had ever fact about what was in the bundle memorized) before patting the child on the back and leading her to one of the displays. As Tiberius started rambling, Percy felt a short vibration in his pocket, a text.

**FROM: KEYLETH**

_ Got it }:D _

Another smile as he quickly sent a response.

**TO: KEYLETH**

_ Excellent, you’re the best, meet you at the park 8) _

He pocketed his phone and leaned back against the door frame, watching as Tiberius took her to yet another display, the delight in her face all too apparent.

~~~

Vax swore he could hear his tires screeching as they left the parking lot of Gilmore’s Glorious Goods, cursing to himself as he nearly ran a red light. He looked at the clock on the dashboard, 2:25.

“Fucking fuck shit.” he resisted the urge to hit the steering wheel, racking his brain for an idea as he made his way to the park. He sighed in defeat, Vivi would have to wait just a little longer he thought, praying that Alex and Kaylee were there. Percy could only distract her for so long, and he still needed to get the cake, the decorations- His mind stopped as he pulled into the park, anger rising in him at the purple decorations.

Great, now someone else was throwing a fucking party. Vax ran a hand through his hair, still staring at the decorations and their supposed owner….wait….was that….

“Scanlan?” he shouted, slamming the car door closed. 

The shorter man turned, his smirk only growing wider, “Vax, happy you could make it.” He turned to see the purple streamers surrounding the trees and the lavender cloth over the table, “These were leftover from Kaylee’s party a couple months ago, figured since you invited me it was the least I could do.”

Vax could only stare in disbelief, “Scanlan, I-”

“Oh,” he interrupted, turning to Kaylee sitting on the table, “Show him your gift sweetie,” he turned back to Vax, “We want to make sure it was okay.”

“Gift? You didn’t-”

“I know I didn’t  _ have  _ to,” Kaylee handed the bag to her father, “But, Kaylee saw Vivi staring at my copy during a sleepover,” he pulled out a rather thick, dark blue book, the cover reading  _ The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,  _ “And I figured why not give her her own copy?” His smirk came back as he put the book back where it came from, setting it on the table.

Vax was getting ready to say something when a honk interrupted him. The two men looked to see a car parked near Vax’s, Keyleth and Kashaw stepping out, a long box in the former’s hand. 

“Are we late? Oh thank God I don’t think we’re late….” She seemed a little panicked, the box in her hands shaking slightly.

“I told you we weren’t going to be late.” Kash gave her a small quick kiss to the temple as they made their way to the purple mess. He grunted to the other two men as Keyleth set the box on the table, hugging Vax afterwards.

“Is that the-”

“Percy asked us to go grab it.” Kash explained as he took a seat at the picnic table.

Another honk, and Vax looked to see his sister’s car, Alex and Trinket bursting from the back before the car had fully stopped. He could see his sister have a near panic attack and Zahra letting out an amused chuckle in the passenger seat before getting out themselves. He barely registered Keyleth making a beeline for Kash as he walked over to his sister.

“Brother dearest!” Vex’ahlia’s arms were outstretched to give Vax a hug, “So sorry we’re late.”

“No, you’re not,” He could barely speak at this point, gently hugging his sister, “Um, you got the-”

She smiled at him, motioning to the two bags she held in her hand, “Even your little Nancy Drew’s no match for my hiding skills.”

He chuckled, “The reason I gave it to you.”

One last car pulled into the park, one that Vax recognized all too well as he pulled away from his sister. Similarly to her cousin, Vivi jumped out of the car, nearly tackling him with a “Daddy!”

“Happy Birthday sweetheart.” he mumbled into her hair, patting her back, “I’m so sorr-”

“What’s with the dog ears Percy?” Vax looked up and there Percy was, dog ears still (barely) on his head and slightly smudged black lines on his face.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” He apologized rather tiredly, “I told Tiberius to keep the explanations to a minimum, but-”

“Happy Birthday Vivi!” The crowd behind them cheered. She broke from her father’s grip and ran to the crowd, leaving Percy and Vax to themselves.

All Vax could really do at the moment was stare at Percy, who took note with a raised eyebrow, “Something wrong Darling?” 

Vax’s eyes felt like they were stinging as he started to respond, “I-”

“Brother, dearest,” Zahra’s voice rang out, interrupting him, “Unless you don’t want any cake I’d recommend the both of you getting over here.” 

Percy looked over to Vax, a small smile on his face, “Later perhaps?”

He could only nod, wiping at his eyes with a smile of his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Early Birthday @cassiederolo~!!!!


End file.
